Thursday, April 2, 2009

England could be left standing at the altar if the West Indies team carries out its threat to boycott the decisive fifth and final One-day International at the Beausejour Cricket Ground on Friday.England still do not know if their opponents will show-up for the match, since there has been no clear indication from either the West Indies Cricket Board or the West Indies Players' Association about the status of their ongoing dispute.The tourists, like everyone else, will be awaiting the outcome of the latest round of negotiations between the WICB and the WIPA on Thursday.The issues causing the stand-off between the two sides in the Caribbean include terms and conditions, as well as outstanding payments and a new pay structure for players in the West Indies first-class competition.The WICB provided "a comprehensive broad-based proposal" to the players to cover a new fee structure, but WIPA rejected the offer and said it omitted "substantial and significant information and detail that any meaningful engagement on that basis alone is impossible".

The series is set for a thrilling conclusion, after England won the fourth ODI by nine wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis Method at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday.England fortuitously won the opening match at the Guyana National Stadium, when West Indies accepted bad light thinking they were ahead on the D/L tables.But the home team recovered from the miscalculation by their coach John Dyson to win the second match by 21 runs, and then took the rain-shortened third match in Barbados last Friday by eight wickets under the D/L Method.

England had some injury concerns to key players Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen heading into the match, but they have been cleared for action, following separate medical scans.Pietersen left the field on Sunday, when he suffered a back spasm while bowling, and Flintoff injured his left thumb attempting a sharp return catch.England are likely to stick the combination that brought them victory in the fourth ODI and this means Flintoff and Pietersen will be central figures in their plans.If they do turn up, West Indies have to decide whether to play with the spin option of Sulieman Benn, or boost their firepower with the addition of Ravi Rampaul.Benn has come into the squad, after fellow left-arm spinner Nikita Miller suffered a side strain last Sunday when batting, while Rampaul was in the squad for both matches in Barbados, but did not play.